Not a single application filed for citizenship from Assam in CAA portal: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 14 claimed that not a single application for citizenship has been filed from Assam till date in the portal opened for citizenship registration. 

Speaking at a press conference on March 14, where he stated that there has been not a single application from Assam till now, CM Sarma said that the portal for applying for citizenship under CAA was launched by the central government on March 12 but not a single application filed from the state. 

He went on to claim that he has a good understanding of the politics of Assam which makes him affirmative that there will not be many people from the state applying for citizenship and stated that the ecosystem of Assam is so strong that people will not accept it. 

He went on to say that people actually use Assam as a corridor rather than settling down. According to him, people use it as a route to the rest of the country. Himanta Biswa Sarma also stated that no Muslim Bangladeshis have settled in the state so far. 

The Union government implemented the CAA on Monday, announcing rules to expedite citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India prior to December 31, 2014.

Sarma has clarified that the act clearly states the deadline for citizenship application is December 31, 2014. In Assam, following the National Register of Citizens update, only those who applied and did not find their names in the list will apply for CAA.